as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
the endless pestering finally drove me to study at the library
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in teasing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in bothering
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
one resident pestered the condo board about every little thing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pestering
Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Brian Robin, Oc Register, 8 June 2026
The character, Günter Van Ellis (Ivan Sherry), is seen pestering Oh Father (Daveed Diggs) and Homelander at the White House.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Fudd played some solid defense early with a quick steal and spent some time pestering Clark.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
The pal had a place in the beach town for quite some time and had long been pestering the former TAP Air pilot to stop by and see the area’s unparallelled beauty and tranquility for himself.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 1 May 2026
Tiny eye-biting flies are swarming all over the San Gabriel Valley and pestering residents.
—Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
In a game where the Stars smashed the Oilers, Hryckowian was pestering Edmonton players all night en route to drawing four penalties.
—R.j. Coyle, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
But this is now a 20-game stint of pestering Knicks defense — with no example better than during Sunday’s 25-point takedown of the San Antonio Spurs.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Every day the press corps descended on both teams with pestering questions, some of which were obvious plants to promote products.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Noun
There were almost no visible signs of this pestering affliction, which interfered with the rabbi’s sleep and therefore with his mental competence and his negotiation of daytime duties and professional matters.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
Bonner brought the bull market with him to CSUF, bringing his pressing, pestering and passionate style of play to a fanbase starved for success.
—Brian Robin, Oc Register, 8 June 2026
The character, Günter Van Ellis (Ivan Sherry), is seen pestering Oh Father (Daveed Diggs) and Homelander at the White House.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Fudd played some solid defense early with a quick steal and spent some time pestering Clark.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
The pal had a place in the beach town for quite some time and had long been pestering the former TAP Air pilot to stop by and see the area’s unparallelled beauty and tranquility for himself.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 1 May 2026
Tiny eye-biting flies are swarming all over the San Gabriel Valley and pestering residents.
—Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
In a game where the Stars smashed the Oilers, Hryckowian was pestering Edmonton players all night en route to drawing four penalties.
—R.j. Coyle, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
But this is now a 20-game stint of pestering Knicks defense — with no example better than during Sunday’s 25-point takedown of the San Antonio Spurs.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Every day the press corps descended on both teams with pestering questions, some of which were obvious plants to promote products.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pestering
Noun
-
Two children at a Redlands elementary school faced racial harassment, discrimination and teasing for months, resulting in them being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, their mother alleged in a lawsuit filed against the school district.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
The Big 12 cites cases where government threats of retaliation, including prosecution and legal harassment, constitute an infringement of the freedom of association.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
The tiny humans sometimes linger in the blank space of your mind, staring back at you in a teasing way.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
-
For June, in Miami, that’s a teasing treat.—
Howard Cohen
June 1,
Miami Herald,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Instead, the reviews were largely muted, with analysts not bothering to adjust their revenue estimates for 2027 or 2028, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
-
That appears to be bothering people, as the broadcast noted some pointed conversations among the Spanish team during the hydration break.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Has Greta eaten or chewed on anything naughty?—
Breanne L. Heldman,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
-
The play was naughty stuff in 1925, when the show, starring Tallulah Bankhead, got banned.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Joined by Mayor Mamdani, friends and family on Thursday laid to rest an East Village deli worker who police said was shot and killed during a dispute with a troublemaking former customer.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
There’s an inherent troublemaking nature to him that can’t be repressed by the big Disney musical.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Brunson, the crafty undersized guard, leveraged that pressure by drawing two shooting fouls in as many possessions on three-point attempts.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
-
Norway is the favorite, and should be, but Japan is crafty and tactical.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pestering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestering. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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